Apparatus for dyeing skeins



March 15 1927.

. O. T. DEHLE APPARATUS FOR DYEING SKEINS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fild 'July 6, 1926' lmzenli?! March 15, 1927.

. O. T. DEHLE APPARATUS FOR DYEING SKE INS Filed July 6, 1926 Sheets-Sheet {3 FigG I [awe 11134", O ff T 1767 01 :2;

Marc 15, 1927.

. O. T. DEHLE APPARATUS FOR DYEING skams 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 6, 1926 4 7 n 9 1 v n I Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

hairs-e s rates,

OTTO 1. IDEHIJE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

I remiss ABPAQRATU'S F91?v DYEING SKEINS:

. Application filed; July 6, 1926., Serial noliaaesa This invention relates to apparatus for dyeing skeins of? fibrous material, and par ticularly silk; and it has for its object the efiecting of perfected means for revolvingthe skeins in thedye. liquid, and for the support thereof for elevating the skeins-out from the dye, and for giving them aslow rotation above the liquid while dripping;

for transferring them bodily to; the washing;

vat and revolving them therein, and" for elevating them out from the: washing vat.

In the drawings forming part. of this specification, Fig. 1 is an end elevation, partially in section, of dyeing apparatus: embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of part of the friction brake.

Fig; 4 is a perspective view of the same.

tog-ether with other operative parts. Figyfi is a sectional elevation showing the opera- 7 tive mechanism of the skein-carrying shaft.

Fig; 6 is a sectional, plan view of the same. Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate structural details of the skein-carrying clips and they manner of mounting them on the spider.

The reference numeral 1 designates thevat for containing the dye, and 2 the; washing vat beside it; 3 is a shaft provided with spiders 4 between which the. skeins are: suspended, and which is, designed to be bodily transferred from vat to vat, and 5 are the circular bearing boxes for the ends of the shaft. These boxes fit loosely within a recess 6 in vertically slid'a-ble blocks 7. Each block is movable in ways composed of chartnels 9 of some non-corrosive metal and attached to the interior of the ends of the vats. Attached near to one end of the shaft 3 is a spur gear 10 designed. to beheld in mesh; with'a pinionll by gravity, and to be,

' rotated thereby. This pinion in each vat I vat where it is provided with some form of driving mechanism, preferably a sprocketv is mounted on a spindle 12 passing through suitable packing boxes to the exterior of the wheel 13 and chain; 14.

After the shaft has rotated sufficiently long for the suit-ably dyeing of its associated skeins,.the blocks 7 at the ends of the vat 1 are drawn upward until the spur gear 10 reaches a pinion l5 power-driven and located at a level to brlng the skeins on the spiders l V entirely out of the dye-liquid. The shaft 3 being held at the level of the axis of the pinion 15 for a short time and with the gear 10 in mesh with the, latter, the skeins are slowly revolved while they are dripping free-of the surplus liquid, I v: This being done, the.- blocks 7. areelevated; until their recesses ,6; have-theirbottoinedges; flush with the track-railslti, and'thei-r bear.-

ing boxes 5- can be rolled out from theserecesses upon the track rails, and: thence along; the latter until they enterthe, recesses- 6 of blocks-7 above the. vat 2' The; latter blocks being; slowly lowered until: the gears;

10- are in mesh with the pinions- 11 either vat 2 power driven in the'satlnemanneliasj are the pinionsfirst described. This. vat: 2, 1s supplied with, waterfor the purpose-oh washing from the skeins' all surplus dye.

After this, the shaft. is raised toga suitable level to bring the skeinsout o-f thewater and to permit convenientaccess on thepart of the attendants for the removal of the. silk. Then the shaft is rolled back into, the control of the blocks 7 over the vat 1; undyed skeins attached to the spiders hand; the. whole lowered into the-dye-liquijd for another beginning of the process.

The preferred mechanism. for thus accomplishing these results is, constructedas fol- V lows. Each block 7 is suspended from a, chain or wire cable 20 wound, upona drum 21 which is'mountedl on a. shaft 22,. each shaft carrying the two drums; associated with one vat, and being rotated through the agency of a worm-wheel 23, a worm- 24 mountedon a'short shaft 25, and an-;clec-- tric motor 26. Theshort. shafts 25 are con:

nected with the motor through flexible cou-;

plings 28 to. permit the worms: 24:; tov be raisedout of mesh with the worm-wheels 23. ,V fhen the worm 24 is in mesh with; its, worm-gear 23 for the elevation of a. shaft and its, skeins, and themotor 26 is made. to

turn in the proper direction, one of the blocks 7 when it reaches the proper. height, 7

the' shaft- 3' and skeins.

The lever 29. sharing in this movementand being automatically locked n this posi- 7 tion by the detent 34, the shaft 3 andskeins slow rotation of the skeins while dripping,

the lever 29 is shifted before the stop 27 is reached by a block 7 and at a level to hold the gear 10 in mesh with the driving pinion but this dripping having stopped, the worm 24 is lowered into mesh with its worm-gear 23 and the blocks 7 raised until stopped in the manner above described.

7 As the shaft 3 is thus brought up to the clesired level, it comes between the ends of the two bifurcated levers 35 which were located to receive the same. The operator then presses the lever inward further, compressing the spring 36 of the friction pad 32 and carrying the worm 2A up into mesh with a worm-gear 37 which turns with a crank 38; the latter being connected by a pitman 40 to the levers 35, and the parts so proportioned that one limit of their swing is over the cen- Q shaft 3 is thus delivered into the control of .recessed blocks v7 of the other vat.

' the levers and the worm 24L put 1nto mesh with the worm-gear 37, the shaft and skeins are at once urged along the rails 16 to the At this opermesh mesh point, the levers are stopped by the ators depressing the worm 24mm of with the worm-gear 27, but not into with .the worm-gear 23.

'l'ne brake lever 29 having previously been locked to hold its brake-pad 32 tightly against the friction drum 33 it is gradually released to permit the shaft 3 and its contents to be lowered into the water in the vat 2. Here its spur gear 10 descends into mesh with-the power-driven pinion l5 and the skeins are slowly revolved in the water until suitably washed.

lVhen this is accomplished, the worm 24 is lowered into mesh with the worm-gear 23 and the drums 2.1 are made to wind up the cables 20 and elevate the blocks 7 to a height suitable for the removal of the washed skeins from the spiders l. "After this, the shaft and spiders are returned across the rails 16 to the other side; a fresh supply I the clip 50 is hinged at 52, and which is slidably supported by slender rods or pins 53 I slidably held by the spider and resiliently held by springs 54 mounted on the pins. Each clip 50 is formed with several teeth 55 havingrounded ends adapted to enter seats 56 in the body 51, and 1S locked in its closed position bva spring latch 57. The pins 58 and springs 54 are supported in hollow bosses 59 formed on the spiders, these bossesbeing disposed in a zig-zag arrangement, as shown in Fig. 10, so that each clip when opened will rest upon the end of a body 5l of the adjacent device, and thereby be in a convenient position for the skein to be attached thereto.

In attaching the end of a skein to one of these clips 50 the threads or yarns of the skein are somewhat evenly distributed about the teeth 55 for the purpose of enabling the dye liquid to more freely penetrate the skeins and therebv to dye the same more uniformly.

The clips 50 are preferably perforated and notched, as indicated in Fig. 7 in order to permit the dye to more readily reach the portions of the skeins held bythe teeth 55 and bv the clips themselves.

After the skeins have been dyed and washed, they are readily removed from the clips by swinging the latter one by one down to a substantially horizontal position and raising therefrom the skein.

What I claim as mv invention is:

1. In a machine for dyeing skeins, two closely disposed parallel vats, a shaft adapted for carrying skeins, continuously rotating mechanism in each vat adapted to rotate said shaft when lowered therein, means for raising and lowering said shaft out from and down into each vat, and means for horizontally moving said shaft from a point above one vat to a point above the other vat and for keeping it parallel with the vats during its removal. I

2. In a machine for dyeing skeins, two

closely disposed parallel vats, a shaft adapted for carrying skeins, continuouslv rotating mechanism in each vat adapted to rotate said shaft when lowered therein, means for raising and lowering said shaft out of and down into each vat, and means including track rails for horizontally moving said shaft from a point above One vat to a point above the other vat. g V

3. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising two tanks, one for a dye liquid and the other for a washing liquid, a shaft adapted for supporting the skeins, means in each tank for rotating said shafts, means for moving said shaft up from and down into the tanks, track rails upon which said shaft can be removed from one tank to the other, and swinging arms adapted to be engaged with said shaft for moving it along said rails.

4, A machinefor dyeing skeins of silk and thelike, comprising two tanks, one for a dye liquid and the other for a washing liquid, a

shaft for supporting the skeins, means-in each tank for'rotating said shaft, a circular bearing box for each end of said shaft, means for raising said shaft up from and lowering it down into the tanks, and track rails upon which said boxes can roll for the transference of said shaft from one tank to the other.

5. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and thelike, comprising two tanks, one for a dye liquid and the other for a washing liquid, a shaft adapted for supporting the skeins, means in each tank for rotating said shaft, circular bearing boxes for the ends of said shaft, means for raising said shaft up from and lowering it down into the shafts, track rails along which said boxes can roll, and swinging arms adapted for engaging said shaft for moving it along said rails.

6. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising a tank, vertical ways at each end thereof, blocks slidable in said ways, each block having a recess in its edge, a circular bearing box loose in each recess, a shaft having its ends rotatably supported in said boxes, means for raising and lowering said blocks, and track rails upon which said boxes can be rolled when the blocks are elevated to the proper height.

7. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising two tanks, each having vertical ways at each end thereof, blocks slidable in said ways, each block having a recess opening toward the opposite tank, circular bearing boxes loose in said recesses of one tank, a shaft terminally and rotatably supported by said boxes, horizontal track rails uniting the upper ends of the ways of one tank with the ways of the other, and means for rolling said boxes and shaft along said rails.

8. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising a tank, vertical ways at each end thereof, a power driven pinion at the lower end of one of said ways, a powerdriven pinion near the upper end thereof, a shaft, means for raising and lowering said shaft in said ways, and a spur gear on said shaft for engaging with said pinions when at the proper height.

9. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising two tanks, vertical ways at each end of each tank, a shaft adapted for supporting skeins of silk and the like, bearings for the ends of said shaft fitted to the ways of each tank, means for raising and lowering said ways in either tank, track rails j oining the upper ends of the ways of one tank with the ways of the other tank, means for automatically stopping the elevation of said bearings at the level of said rails, and means for receiving said shaft and for moving it along said rails from one tank to the other.

10. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like as set forth in claim 9, in which the last-named means consist ofinstrumentalities each having two spaced projections up between which an end of said shaft rises and by means of which itis moved from end to end of the track rails. f 11. A machine as set forth in claim 9, in which the last named means consists of united swinging arms each having two spaced projections between which an end of the shaft rises and by which it is moved along said rails.

means for rotating said drums, and means.

actuated by said blocks when elevated to a predetermined level for disconnecting the power operated means from said drums.

13. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising a tank, vertical ways at its ends, blocks slidably carried in said ways, .a shaft adapted for supporting skeins having its ends rotatable in said blocks, a shaft supported above said. tank having two drums and a worm gear, flexible connectlons between sald blocks and drums,

a power actuated worm adapted to be put into mesh with said worm gear, a brake for the upper shaft, and means operated by the elevation of one of said blocks to a predetermined height for unmeshing said worm and gear and for applying said brake.

14. A machine for dyeing skeins of silk and the like, comprising two tanks, vertical ways at the ends of eachta'nk, blocks slidable in said ways, a shaft rotatably but rcmovably carried by the blocksin either tank,

a shaft located above each tank provided with a drum and a worm gear, flexlble connections between said blocks and-drums, a worm gear located above one of said worm gears but spaced therefrom, means operated by said elevated worm gear for transferring said shaft from one set of ways to the other when its blocks have been elevated to a predetermined height, and power driven worm located between said spaced gears adapted to be put into mesh with either.

15. A machine as set forth in. claim 14 having a brake for the lower of the worm gears resiliently supported, and a hand lever controlling both the brake and the shifting of the worm.

In testimony that=I claim the foregoing invention, I have hereunto set my hand this 

